What's In a Heart
by AnHeiressofaSOLDIER
Summary: It's Rhyme's birthday. She and Josh are in love. Accordingly, they have to consider different ways to be together. Rhyme has made a choice, and Josh tries to help her. They find each other in the dead of night, and they make the most of what they have.


**What's In a Heart**

Neku sat on Joshua's bed, as he wondered why he was even with Shibuya's Composer.

_The mattress was made of nothing but feathers (a joke of Eri's) and matched Joshua's lavender eyes. That had been Shiki's task, finding a color that would work for Josh. After Eri's insistence that it be of feathers, Shiki had gone from store to store to find anything that made her think of Joshua. Finally, she'd just given up and decided she'd dye a white comforter herself. And though she had simply colored it with purple stripes, Neku was quick to assure her she might have a job as a designer, after all. She'd beamed at him, of course, because it was the first thing she'd designed without Eri's guidance. She'd then insisted that, "If I just alter this, and make a few ajustments here, then it could be an outfit, Neku!"_

_As much as the "pin genius" loved Shiki, he was more than glad when Rhyme interrupted her (and eventually Eri's) musings by pointing out, "The comforter's color's actually closer to my hair." And as Neku, Shiki, and Eri took a closer look at the parts Shiki had left unmarked, it was clear that the hopeful girl was right. "I wonder if it'll be better that way. The whole point of this was to remind him he has a home here and he's just not the Composer."_

_Eri's lips had turned up, as everyone had noted the truth of Rhyme's words. But at the time, Neku had felt as clueless as Beat in trying to figure out why she was so dang happy. Eri had a way of sizing people up that Neku assumed had to do with how often she was around them. She was quite knowledgable of people, and almost the opposite of Neku. He often times found himself reverting to not getting people, but he was still as perceptive as ever. Thankfully, Shiki always pulled Neku back from the edge. It seemed that ever since he'd let her in, she was the only person who could remind him why he was trying. _

_Eri had a very coaxing way about her, too. But Neku appreciated Shiki's will to let him deal with some things on his own. She really was the best at dealing with him. And with Eri's large grin discomforting him, Neku really wished Beat hadn't had to leave to get ready for his skateboard contest. Usually Eri and Beat drifted towards each other, and Neku didn't know how to deal with two people trying to profile him._

Shaking his head to clear it of the memory, Neku glared at Joshua. He may have been Josh's frined, he may have allowed Joshua to stay with him sometimes, but he didn't appreciate being asked for advice about Rhyme. Especially since Neku had never asked him about Shiki. And Rhyme was... Rhyme. Neku adored her, but he couldn't always figure out what the happy girl was thinking. He blamed his emo tendencises clashing with her own tendencies. Sighing, Neku's hands reflexively tried to flip the player pin that wasn't there. Maybe if he could understand what _Joshua_ was thinking...

"Josh," Neku said reproachfully. "I know that look. And going to the UG isn't going to solve this, even if your question is about it. I still don't understand why you won't talk to her."

Joshua smirked in the way Neku loved _so_ much and narrowed his eyes. His lips were pulled tight, and Neku wished Joshua _was_ reading his mind. Didn't he know Rhyme didn't like this version of him? Neku didn't like it much either, but he was fun to match wits with. "Don't worry, dear. I'd never leave you here when you're being so hospitable while thinking about Shiki."

"You son of a-" At Joshua's raised eyebrow, Neku cut his words off. No. He wouldn't give Joshua the satisfaction. And honestly, he had wanted him to read his mind. Just not _that _part. And he hadn't just been thinking about Shiki, thank you very much. Praying to the angels for the strength to carry on, Neku began imagining he was strangling Mr. Mew so he wouldn't strangle Joshua.

Said Composer laughed his annoying, girly laugh, and Neku lost his resolve as he glared daggers. "Well, well, well, that's not very nice daydreaming about killing Shiki's prized possession. Especially not in the way you almost killed her."

Any smart remark Nemu might have had to that died on his lips. Instantly, his eyes became downcast, and his voice became more somber, as he hid behind the collar of his jacket. "You want my advice, Joshua? Listen to your heart and not your mind for once. Like I would have liked to believe I wouldn't have killed Shiki in _my _heart." And with that, "Phones" left his own room. As he vacated Joshua's bed, what he'd been hiding from the Composer was now in plain site. It seemed that Rhyme had left something for Joshua.

...

Rhyme was sixteen now, and she had to wonder where the years had gone. She'd been so down trodden in not having a dream when she'd been in The Game, but now she was glad for the fact. She had a new dream each day, and each day was a chance for a new dream. If she didn't make one come true, that was okay. But the more dreams she sought, the more pathless days she invested herself in, let her know that she was in fact living each day. Everyday was a new adventure and should have been treated as such.

Rhyme had draped chandelir earrings on her ears, and wore a sammon dress. It had spaghetti straps and a square neckline. It wasn't formfitting, but it wasn't loose, either. And it billowed out at her hips beautifully. One thing was the same though. Her bell pendant that Beat had gotten her so long ago. It was amazing that she'd remembered her brother had given it to her even when she didn't even remember Beat was her brother. Rhyme took off her sunflower flip-flops that didn't match in the slightest, and began balancing on the tips of her toes. Her arms were spread out, and she imagined she was walking on the edge of a fountain, a tight rope, a plank suspended above the ocean... anything but the surface of the sun. (and, of course, the reality that was Dogenzaka).

It would be when she didn't want to think about Josh that he'd appear. As her eyes were closed, she didn't see him, but she sensed his presence. It was somehow different when he breathed on her. It sent chills racing down her spine, and she knew Joshua would think it was because her intellegent mind was realizing how odd it was that he breathed.

With a small laugh, and a helping hand to guide Rhyme to sit in a bench, he answered, "You're quite right, dear. I'm glad I charm you. Even if you don't want to see me."

Noting her cue, Rhyme opened her eyes, and looked into Joshua's lovely ones. Though she'd noted that the comforter had her hair color, she'd secretly been a bit self-conscious about it. Why would the Composer want to be mixed up with her? If it wouldn't have been for her knowledge of Joshua's needs, she would have insisted Shiki make the blank spaces more like his hair color. Talking to both herself and Joshua, she told him, "Please don't be sad, Josh. It's my birthday. I can't be happy if you aren't."

Joshua smiled a little despite himself. The more time she'd spent with the never-aging teen, the more she'd realized she was resurrecting the boy he had once been. The boy she'd told during a thunderstorm on Christmas day that she wanted to meet.

_They'd been caught up under the 104 Building, and Joshua had joked that he could kill her and they could go through the UG. "Then you won't drench your new presents. And I'll let you out of the Game just for your Entry Fee."_

_"And what would that be?" Rhyme had said louder than she was used to so she could hear. Somehow, she could hear Joshua perfectly, and she rationalized it was because of his amazing Composer powers. Despite them standing under the doorway, Rhyme's bangs (that were just peeking out under her hat) were getting soaked. _

_Joshua smirked as he pointed up. "You'd have to kiss me, obviously." Glancing upward, herself, she noticed the mistletoe above them. It was dangling out further then they were; suddenly, it made sense why her hat was getting wet. The water was running down the side of it to drip on her. She giggled when a particularily heavy drop landed on her lips._

_She wasn't sure who had been more startled by the kiss. Herself or Joshua. But even though it had been quick, he was frozen longer than the kiss itself had been. "I don't need rain or mistletoe to kiss you Joshua," she'd said. "I definitely don't let rain motivate me." And with that, she'd darted off into the storm and twirled around, around, and around. Joshua had half followed just to make sure she wouldn't get struck by lightning. The last thing he ever wanted was for her to be in his Shibuya again._

"And what are you doing here when you should be meeting your friends? Especially in the night like this. Anyone would be more than willing to snatch you up with how you look." Rhyme shrugged Joshua's comment off, as she ran a hand through her short, lackluster hair. Why would anyone want her with such unmoving hair? Shiki's was much more kept, and Eri's was just naturally gorgeous.

Raimu was prepared to tell Joshua that _he_ was her friend, but Joshua cut her off. He ran a hand through her hair, and when the strands seemed to reflect on his clear nails, she thought she could see the appeal there. But Joshua was the Composer. Anything probably looked beautiful around him. And was she imagining that her hair was getting longer? "As you're sixteen now, I think you could do with some more depth, Raimu."

"I think you have the wrong word," she said, but she wasn't really paying attention. Instead, she was mesmerized in seeing her hair return to normal. If she didn't know better, she would have thought he'd done a commonplace magic trick.

Perhaps reading her mind, Joshua pulled out a packet of magic cards, and tossed them into her hands. "Some magic for your birthday, dear. I didn't think I could use too powerful of magic or the HG might get mad at me. And we can't have that. We don't want them throwing you into the Game again." Joshua's words cut off abruptly, and Rhyme sensed that they'd gotten to the heart of the situation. The real reason he was out here trading comebacks with her the way he would Neku. At least it was fun banter when they did it.

Rhyme laid the cards down, and played with her fingers, as she scooched away from Joshua to get a better view of the stars. Shibuya had so many lights and awnings, it was hard to remember what the stars were like without an obstructing view. As much as Rhyme was thankful for her age, she was also resentful of it. With each day also came incorrect reasons and accusations, and she felt like she was becoming a coward. How could it possibly be wrong to want to be around Joshua? How could it be wrong to want to be with him? "The angels would kill me?" She said agitatedly, as she put a piece of hair behind her ear. She was agitated with herself. Why was she allowing age to-

"Everything has a balance, Rhyme. Like beautiful girls getting murdered. It's only a matter of time before one's luck runs out. That's life. But you do have a capacity to learn. Like a young lady learning to stick around a powerful Composer for safety precautions."

Rhyme beamed at that, and for a moment, her fears were chased away. She leaned over to where Joshua was still sitting on the bench outside Ramen Don, and blushed in realizing he'd called her beautiful (and that she was pretty much in his lap). "Now, do you mind telling me why you see me as the sun?"

Rhyme closed her eyes again, and allowed herself to lean her head on Joshua's shoulder. Suddenly, vibrant colors were playing behind her eyelids, and after that there were little specks of light. If she wanted, she could even make the light fade all together. But she didn't want that. She'd never want Joshua's light to be extinguished. She was prepared to relay all of this to Joshua, but he'd clearly read her discomfort and had taken it upon himself to find out on his own. "Hmm. You view me as more important thing in your world? And you've weighed the cons for becoming a Reaper if you should ever die; that was all clear in the list you gave me. But without my star, there wouldbe a Black Hole in your life? I can see why Neku hid the list you left me. Especially since he didn't know the last part."

"Neku's a good friend to you," Rhyme replied hesitantly. Now everything was laid out in perfectly organized compartments. Surely that would mean Joshua had realized she loved him. Why else would she be considering this? Why else wouldn't she see the point to life without Joshua?

Joshua exhaled impatiently as the clock tolled midnight. There went her birthday. Beat and their friends were probably more than pissed now. But she found she didn't care. Joshua's presence had made everything make sense. And she knew she was making the right choice. Joshua seemed displeased by her missing her birthday, but as the vibration of his words against her felt normal, she wasn't too concerned. She did, however, sit up straighter, and finally look at Josh again. "We shouldn't have missed your birthday party over this. Especially since it's not even an issue. You don't have to die young to look young for eternity. When you die many years from now, I'll just let you be Composer. You only need defeat me, not Erase me. And then you can use your power to look whatever age you want. As for me, I'll always be this way."

Rhyme wondered if Joshua had allowed her to read _his_ mind. In those last words, she'd heard exactly what he'd meant to convey. That he loved her, and couldn't imagine life without her, either. "You'd wait a possible one-hundred years to be with me?"

"Don't be silly, Rhyme. With your luck, you won't possibly live that long." Joshua smiled lopsided at the Bito girl. Perhaps it was careless that she should nestle in closer to Joshua when he was making a gun gesture with his hand and angling it at her head. She, however, knew he was just teasing. She was the only one that truly got him. Accordingly, she pushed his hand away playfully.

"Actually, I might live that long. It is another birthday for me in a way. I technically wasn't born until six in the evening, and since it hasn't been twenty-four hours since then, I think we still have reasons to meet our friends." She looked decidedly away from Joshua in saying this. She played with her hands. Though she meant every word she said, it also didn't matter. She would value her time with her dear family, because they were just that, but she'd also allow it to end. She'd made her decision and that was Joshua. One birthday party wasn't enough to keep her away from him. One lifetime as a Composer wasn't enough to make her rethink her actions. But she wasn't sure how Joshua would feel about it.

As it was, he stood up and was quick to usher her up, too. He smiled the kind of smile that at once made her fearful, but also made her love him even more. It was so Joshua. And she could never completely fix him. She loved who he was too much to do so. She blinked at him confused for a moment, but she quickly let it slide. It was there in his eyes: his own resolve. He'd think he was the selfish one, but really it was her. They'd have this one night with their friends, but they wouldn't be able to promise more. "I guess I can agree to that. Especially from a girl that keeps things so close to her heart. You didn't remember Beat in your mind, but in your heart, and when old age claws at you, I know you'll keep me close." That was all the assurance she'd ever need. That no matter what happened to them, he'd be there with her every step of the way. He'd support her.

"I'll keep you closer than you think. Haven't you heard of Christmas in July?" And as she, for the millionth time, outsmarted her deity, she brought his lips to hers before he could react. In many ways, it's exactly the same as what had happened outside of 104. Despite crazy plans, friends, family, and messed up situations... all she needed was his lips on hers. It was her one selfish trait, and as he dominated the kiss, she realized it was his, too.

They'd meet the others tonight. But her heart belonged to Yoshiya Kiryu. It was what was in her heart that mattered. As Joshua had said, she held it all close.

**Author's Note: Long story short, Joshua was trying to understand how Rhyme had subconsciously remembered Beat in the Game. As he was, obviously, trying to decide whether or not to kill her eventually so they could be together. He was trying to figure out if Rhyme's heart was capable of remembering everything about her loved ones, but having to let them go.**

**The answer is yes, though they do find a way to make it somewhat easier. Rhyme doesn't have to die a certain age to look that age forever if she becomes Composer. Anyway, Rhyme had listed all of the cons for giving her life to Joshua and left them on his bed. She had prepared to assure him, later, that her love for him topped all of the things she'd lose. Which, technically, does happen. But it's less dramatic because Joshua reads her mind.**

**Anyway, can you understand why Neku meant to hide that list? He had no idea what Rhyme was thinking. He just thought it would be something hurtful for Joshua should he see it.**

**In the end, they go celebrate her birthday with everyone, but it's sort of melancholy as Joshua and Rhyne know she'll have to leave them someday. It's still worth it for Yoshiya and Raimu though.**

**I don't know how I feel about this. I wanted to make it light, but that's hard for them. But in this they'd been together for a long time, so I guess it would make sense that Joshua was less sadistic. **

**But I REALLY hope everything came across. I wanted some things to be a surprise, but I couldn't exactly explain it all like this in the fic since it has to be poetic. Whatever. For what was actually my first TWEWY fic, and first Joshyme fic, I think this is pretty good. I will get better though.**

**Dedicated to all of the lovely people at Joshyme's Hachiko. Well... maybe not. I don't think it's good enough. Maybe I'll write something else for them.**

**And, as I still don't have Microsoft Word, please excuse any mistakes.**


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